If you're looking for the definitive wingnut defense of Palin's egregious abuse of power, Flopping Aces appears to be the locus classicus.
The core of the defense lies with two points. First, that Wooten was and is a total dick and second, that Wooten did not face serious enough consequences for his actions. Conceded on both points. Flopping Aces posted a link to the report of the disciplinary hearing (pdf!!) and having read it my opinion is that he got off with a slap on the wrist and shouldn't have.
The question is, what is to be done? One idea would be to work to reform law enforcement so that police forces aren't filled with douchebags like Wooten.
That's not what Palin did. On the contrary, her appointment of Kopp to replace Monegan suggests that she had no interest at all in strengthening the mechanisms by which complaints against Division of Public Safety employees are handled.
Instead, Palin, chose to use the power of her office in an arbitrary one-off crusade to set things straight. That's about as serious an ethical slip as it is possible for a governor to make, and it is hauntingly similar to the arrogant disregard that the Bush Administration has shown for the rule of law.
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